So did the writers of the "Dailey Show" put the Jon-beating-hobo bit in Thursday's show to help stop the trend? I hope the "bat boys" did'nt emulate Jon Stewert. Oop's I'm giving their as yet unknown defense team ideas. I like Jon, but that bit was in bad taste.
Posted by TIKI AL at January 14, 2006 04:32 AMSm thrs gt thr kcks btng n th prsprs.
[Editor: ignore=off]Yes, the tales of the prosperous being beaten to death by righteous leftists and socialists fill the airwaves, newspapers and web sites.
Posted by paradox at January 14, 2006 06:03 AMWhen I take the garbage out to the alley, you can't swing a deceased feline without hitting a "rolled" billionaire.
Posted by TIKI AL at January 14, 2006 06:11 AMWe are a Nation of violence, so what would you expect? It is a big money maker.
Posted by Judith at January 14, 2006 06:51 AMAnyone old enough to remember a stunning documentary made ny NBC in the 70's called aptly enough "Violence in America". Narrated by Edwin Neuman it was quite graphic and very powerful.
Doesn't seem like much has changed.
Posted by Daryl at January 14, 2006 07:00 AMOne hit Benito never disappoints us (no pun intended).
Posted by Judith at January 14, 2006 07:31 AMThis is the culture that produces shows like Jackass. Violence is entertainment, our mythic cowboy carved a new life out of the American indian. These teenagers no doubt thought that they were going to get away with it, bullies only hit a victim if they don't beleave they will be held accountable for it. This was an attempt to put a notch in the belt.
Posted by rlp at January 14, 2006 08:13 AM"These teenagers no doubt thought that they were going to get away with it, bullies only hit a victim if they don't beleave they will be held accountable for it."
Rip, well in a society where no one is held accountable, what would we expect? Just as the far-right told us for months that Clinton had set a bad example for the youth of America, I say Bush has set a bad example for the youth of America.
Never accept responsibility and always blame someone else.
Posted by Judith at January 14, 2006 08:35 AMBill Gates, world's wealthiest man, is more worthy than an impoverished homeless person. Infinitely more, for as those of us who remember our Algebra can attest, anything divided by nothing equals infinity.
Not to be snooty, but anything divided by zero is not infinity, it's undefined.
Posted by CG at January 14, 2006 08:47 AMwhat does this sort of animalistic behavior on the part of young American males say about us
It says these four men are assholes, not the entire generation of young men. And it only says something about us if we don't seek to have the book thrown at these schmucks. They are criminals not representatives. And violent criminals earn their cells.
Posted by Kevin Hayden at January 14, 2006 09:06 AMGreat post, pessimist. Thanks for writing it. When we were kids wandering the streets of Detroit without soccer and piano lessons, we never thought to beat up the "bums." It's definitately the societal attitude, not that kids have nothing to do. Throw the fucking book at the miscreants.
Also the criminalization of being homeless sounds like the debtors' prison people keep warning about with the new bankrupcy law.
Posted by Sharon at January 14, 2006 09:27 AMSomething else to BLAME GEORGE BUSH for.
Those kids were probably COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVES.
(That should get me in good with PESS (the thought police) and the rest of the lunatics on this BLOG)!!!
Fully half of the homeless population are veterans of military service. Although difficult to get the exact numbers, about 4-5% of all families are homeless.
The neo-cons perpetrate this culture of violence. Their vile rhetoric of hatred and punishment, and faith and misery, sets the stage for many of these events. These people are cold and compassionless. Nothing is worse than a mean-spirited idiot.
The only bright spot is that many of the neo-cons bought into their leaders montra that debt is good, and that future income makes the debt 'free' (however the fuck that nonsense works). So they sucked the equity out of their homes, and even took the fake equity of the housing bubble. They'll soon get to experience what the homeless do when the ARMs engage on their home interest.
Posted by phidipides at January 14, 2006 10:03 AMUnfortunately, men have treated others like this from the beginning of time. As my grandmother said, "nothing is new under the Sun".
The news might report it, "if it bleeds it leads", but I wonder if in fact, if its any more prevalent.
Question though.
You wax poetically over the lives of these homeless men's lives, acknowledge the value of their lives, regardless of their monetary net worth, yet you do not show the same concern for every man on this earth.
All over this world, billions of people are living in socialistic/dictatorial societies that oppress the freedoms of the people. Genocide and death are common, but the liberal left says its never "our business" to help liberate others. Apparently, you value the birth right of American homeless men over the lives of all else in this world.
You would argue that we need a police force to take action to protect these homeless men and to punish the evil men that did this, but you whine and cry about ulterior motives of American whenever we have tried to do the very same thing. NO WAR ever is deemed worthy of your beliefs, save that of those that might fight against the "oppressive corporate stoogies that are fighting in Iraq for OIL". (You call them freedom fighters or minutemen.)
I get so sick of that War for Oil B.S.. I guess we should remove our troops from every foreign land, give our resourses to the UN and let them dictate which dictators should or shouldn't have nuclear weapons; which peoples deserve protecting from Genocide; and ultimately whether America is worth fighting and dying for.
The cowardly men that killed and injured these homeless men should be caught and punished. But people like Sadamm should be left to the "dickless" United Nations that are so corrupted with leftist who have stolen so much from Iraq that they have no compassion left in their bank accounts.
I see a contradiction. Do your Rose Colored Glasses prevent you from seeing the same?
My dear Lib-ruhl hee-thens:
Pastor Rod has prayed long and hard about the subject of homelessness. I was most recently praying at the men’s urinal in K-Mart. I had just finished purchasing all of the WWJD key chains, wristbands, and money clips to pass out to the poor children in Kentucky who have no shoes. "Lord!" I prayed, while wearing down the pink urinal cake. "Show me, your most humble servant, your way when it comes to homelessness." Well, I can't tell you how the great throbbing power of the Lord sprang to life and filled me with the joy of salvation once again!
Many pastors refer to Matthew 25:31-46 to indicate how the homeless and the least of those amongst us should be cared for. I can assure you, the text here is misleading and difficult to interpret. For Sundays sermon, I will instead refer to Matthew 2:11, KJV, which is illustrative of my point:
11 Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh…
So I'm sure it's easy -even for the lib-ruhls here- to see how Jee'suzah loves money, and enjoys the accrual of wealth and interest income and dividends from stocks. And I can assure you, Jee’suzah despised the homeless for their sloth!
Now, many of you have asked, “Pastor Rod. Would Jee’suzah really condone the mistreatment of the homeless?” I cannot assure you that he would, but I can assure you that he will forgive you for it! How can I be so certain? I refer you to John 19:23-24.
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
Proof that Jee’suzah was a wealthy man, and that he probably despised the homeless!
I warn you lib’ruhls again! Heed scripture, or Gaw'Wah'Duhs wrath will be great and mighty, in all his love! When Jee’suzah drives down from heaven in his Pearl White Cadillac Escalade with Enkei 20’s and laser beam projector headlights, you lib’ruhls will have waited too long to come before his loving presence.
It is not the accrual of wealth that is the problem, my friends. It is the failure to tithe at a minimum of 10% that is the problem. While I'm on the subject of tithing, last Sunday's collections were down 12% from the previous Sunday, and off a full 18 points from the all-time Sunday high. And the take, I mean tithe, from those at the Left Coaster was simply abysmal. Jee'suzah, in answering my prayers, has indicated that if you don't come through on the tithing end of things, there is some eternal damnation to be passed around. So, cough it up! I do not serve a discount Jee’suzah, and my expenses for the Stephen’s twins sexual harassment case have got to covered.
Yours in the great throbbing love of the Lord,
Pastor Rod
Deer-Lick Southern Baptist Church, Just a piece up from Tick Creek
We put the "Fun" in Fundamentalism
"The cowardly men that killed and injured these homeless men should be caught and punished. But people like Sadamm should be left to the "dickless" United Nations..."
This is the single most asinine comment I have ever seen posted on this blog.
If it's okay to let Saddam go then it's okay to let these kids go. What fucking stupidity. You don't even understand the difference between a sovereign nation and an individual act. You don't even understand that the U.S. put Saddam in power and supplied him. Fucking idiot!
What fucking prep school did you go to? I want to let all the other parents to know to get their kids out.
Lunacy! Sheer fucking lunacy! The roll of dictators and thugs the idiot son of George Busch is in bed with is long and rich, and you come up with literally the dumbest fucking comparison in history. Congratulations!
God Damn-it! It has got to be 5:00 somewhere in the world.
Posted by phidipides at January 14, 2006 11:11 AMPastor (spare the -throbbing-) Rod, you are something else!
*smile*
Posted by Sharon at January 14, 2006 11:30 AMCarp, are you ready to tell me why liberals hate America yet?
Posted by Judith at January 14, 2006 12:50 PMI'm still waiting for Carapee to explain why we still support Egypt - a country which just tossed many opposition politicians into jail - and Saudi Arabia, which doesn't allow any opposition political activity. The majority of the people in both countries would love to have him come see how well they live as US allies!
Posted by pessimist at January 14, 2006 01:01 PM
Several years ago there was a case in Santa Barbara, CA, it must have been one of the earliest of this sort of thing, where a couple of students from a military prep school downtown beat and stabbed to death a homeless man who was sleeping in the bandstand in a city park. A witness reported hearing the victim cry out, "No, brother, no!"
The community was horrified and outraged. The students involved were tried and convicted, the school packed up and left town not long afterwards. In that park there is now a tree with a memorial plaque bearing the name and dates of the victim. There are many such memorial plaques in the park, but his has the words that he reportedly said to his assailants that night.
I always felt that the reaction of the people of Santa Barbara to this crime did them honor, even though they have criminalized sleeping there, too.
People will naturally, and creditably, feel outrage over a crime like that murder. But on the other hand they willingly accommodate themselves to arrangements that relieve them of small irritations and disturbances - even when those arrangements come at the cost of huge hardships to others. You accustom yourself to the idea that other people just deserve to have a harder time of it, while your entitlement to comforts expands as far as you can reach.
This, I think, is how the "creep" of callousness takes place. A homeless woman sleeping in her broken down car in, say, Western Sonoma County, gets the car towed. Maybe she's on disability, the car is her only shelter from the weather and from predators, has all her possessions in it, her whole life, maybe she's got a couple of kids or just a dog... And to get the car out of impound will cost all the money she has for the month.
She has no recourse, no help from the law with her situation. But the woman up the street who phoned in to complain about the eyesore will feel unjustly treated if she gets no relief for her complaint. It might be the way the world works, but it is rather unjust in its human consequences. Apparently we all live with this or we'd go mad. Still, as a human being, I'd rather cultivate that sense of the consequences to others and have it guide my actions as much as possible, rather than be one of the folks who tries to rationalize away their conscience and compassion.
Posted by at January 14, 2006 01:27 PMsorry that previous long post was me, don't know why it didn't take the personal info...
Posted by Kia Penso at January 14, 2006 01:28 PM… Genocide and death are common, but the liberal left says its never "our business" to help liberate others Posted by carpediem
Once again your lack of understanding recent history and ethics leads you to spout a bunch of nonsense.
If any comparison is to be made, it is the fact that the weakest are being attacked, beaten, and killed by the stronger. Just as Iraqi's are being killed and tortured by Bush. Just today, your CIA managed to kill over 18 innocent Pakistanis. You think that is any different than a bunch of bullies beating mentally ill people?
You have nothing to offer but your usual right wing bs with your straw men arguments and your silly false dilemmas.
You complain about the oppression of Saddam, and say nothing about the tyrants that are friendly with Bush: tyrants that rule Uzbekistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, China, Pakistan. You complain about genocides and say nothing about current ones like Dafur. You complain about "War for Oil" yet your leader doesn't attack the country whose leading export is, for example, Pistachios. You complain about a "dickless" UN? Why then don't you advocate arming it? You want to liberate others? There are openings for you to do it your way. Apply now.
Did you know that more countries because Democracies during the Clinton Administration than during Bush's, including some that involved overthrowing right-wing dictatorships supported by Republican administrations?
You see a nonexistent contradiction; I see total hypocrisy, ignorance and blind hate in your statements.
Crape displays the usual Right Wing logic in finding a "contradiction" in deploring the beating of a homeless American and not cheering on military invasions to "liberate" every dictatorship on the planet.
Perhaps the left also deplores the unleasing in our name of certain violent death for innumerable thousands of civilians who unfortunately find themselves in the path of the glorious military operation. Some contradiction.
Or perhaps we just oppose invasions that violate international law, law that we were instrumental in establishing.
And by the way, one can work (tirelessly) to oppose, and even change, oppressive regimes without fucking invading them and having armchair Rambo yahoos glorying in every firefight and cheering every 500 lb bomb that lands in a city square, you militaristic turd.
And what's the right wing calculus for which oppressive dictatorship gets a full blown military invasion regime change, Crape? All of them? "Just take a number, you'll be invaded in the order in which you took power"? Just the ones that are three day pushovers for our glorious military?
Or is it just the "dictatorships" that won't play ball with our lovable Uncle Sam? This seems to be the current Right Wing model of the glorious leader whose ass you're so dutifully whiping with every shit that comes out of him.
The great thing about the Right is that 15 years ago they REALLY CONCERNED about budget deficits, cause that was the Right Wing Talking Point of the day. Now, $500 billion and counting into an unnecessary invasion of a regime that had no power to harm us, not so much.
Posted by euzoius at January 14, 2006 02:31 PMThe "dickless U.N". How many times have these bold keyboard warriors equated masculinity with brute force? And people wonder why the U.S is seen all too often (and the statistics bear it out) as a violent troglodyte nation. Look no further than Mr."Seize the Dough",who probobly needs to watch "When Animals Attack" videos just to get a woody.
Posted by jondee at January 14, 2006 02:48 PMIf the accumulation of money is a measure of a person's worth, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer must be roasting in Hell.
Posted by tempus at January 14, 2006 03:43 PMOne of te good things about Florida is that a life sentence means for life: no parole. Another good thing is that a death sentence (usually) means death; if commuted, it means life. When these people are caught, it will be life or death. And good riddance.
Posted by Bagley at January 14, 2006 05:15 PMPastor Rod Spangler nor his church seem to exist anywhere but here. (If I'm wrong please give me the link to prove otherwise.) He's just another evil predator who seeks power by spreading hatred. He preys on the ignorant who have been taught to fear God.
He is an example of those against whom our Democratic Leadership should be protecting us.
Where the Hell are you (Democratic Leadership)? Please don't tell me you've already followed the republicans there (to Hell)!
Posted by OffTheFence at January 14, 2006 06:02 PMOfftheFence,
Pastor Rod is a parody, please read him again, you'll get it. : )
Posted by at January 14, 2006 06:47 PMDamn you Spare the Rod,
I think I went off about the time I read that he claimed to be from Kentucky. It all just sounded so familiar. These people exist.
I could bury my head (again) in embare"ass"ment and go away, or vow to speak out against the future Rod Spanglers.
Just be glad I don't handle snakes.
Posted by OffTheFence at January 14, 2006 07:44 PMOkay, I read it. Perhaps the Pearl White Cadillac Escalade with Enkei 20’s (what the hell is that anyway)comment should have given it away earlier. But, "Hey!" I read the material at least as well as Carp does.
LOL to All
Posted by OffTheFence at January 14, 2006 07:55 PMLOL=Lots of Love
Posted by OffTheFence at January 14, 2006 07:59 PMI knew you'd get it. ; D
Posted by at January 14, 2006 08:18 PMMy dear Lib-ruhl hee-thens:
Referring to Pastor Rod is a parody, I condemn thee for eternity to a great boiling lake of fire with your own personal host of incubi and succubi! Away from my sight, oh ye spawn of Say'uh-tun!
My tendency to commit the sin of parody was taken from me with the love of Jee'suzah and the gay reorientation training I recieved from pastor Lonnie Latham, of South Tulsa Baptist Church in Tulsa, Okla. By laying on his hands he lovingly ignited the great throbbing love of Jee'suzah and placed it within me! It's great throbbing power stabbed at my heart! Oh yes, it stabbed at my heart and stabbed at my heart! Then Lonnie layed his hands on me and prayed, and he prayed real good! Then, praise Gaw-Wah-Duh, I was released!
I have not parodied with another man since Lonnie took the evil from my heart...regardless of how Say'uh-ton has corrupted the mind of the Sulfur County prosecutor who keeps bringing these baseless charges against me and my ministering to young men at various parks around Deer Lick.
I do expect to see all of you at services tomorrow. And remember to bring your tithes! This is the only sure redemption for your worthless lib-ruhl souls. No need to burn in hell when a small protection payment can keep you safe!
Yours in the great throbbing love of the Lord,
Pastor Rod
Deer-Lick Southern Baptist Church, Just a piece up from Tick Creek
We put the "Fun" in Fundamentalism
I must say, yay-uh, I musta say-uh, (is this what is known as speaking in tongues?), the fake fundies are alot more amusing than the usual comment thread hijackers. Yay-uh!
Posted by Sharon at January 14, 2006 08:53 PMDear off the fence,
Lets see, you screw up by your illerate inability to understand an obvious parody and you hide your head under the covers by comparing yourself to me? Cute real cute.
Maybe you need to re-examine WHY you didn't see the parody. Maybe you are so indoctrinated with this liberal BS that you are too quick to discern the truth, that you WANT to find only liberal truths and not REAL truths.
Only you can ask the question of yourself, and even worse yet, only you can answer it...honestly.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Posted by carpediem at January 15, 2006 07:55 AMWe can always count on the wrong-wingers pulling the Old Testament out to refute a statement that comes from the New! If Jesus had been the warrior King that conservatives could drool over, they wouldn't have to change their behavior one whit to be good followers of Him.
Instead, He was one of those liberals that conservatives detest with righteous wrath; and if it wasn't for the fact that Jesus was a Jew, they would renounce Christianity and go back to the 'Okd Religion' of the Old Testament and treat the New like it was Das Capital.
Posted by pessimist at January 15, 2006 09:59 AMBack in MY day, the high school bullies were beating up "fags" (gay was'nt invented yet),and stealing their wallets. The only thing that has changed is the current crop of violent morons don't go home with Rolex watches. Was it Socrates who was disappointed with the violent uncontrollable "yute" of his time?
Posted by TIKI AL at January 15, 2006 02:51 PMI was stupid and deserve ridicule. I'm sure I was the only one who didn't get it. Even worse, I believe I've fallen for a similar post in the past. I have no defence for failing to read and consider the post more carefully before responding.
Though it not an excuse, I do know why I failed to recognize it as a parody. It's not because I'm indoctrinated in liberalism but quite the opposite. I was indoctrinated in Southern Baptist Fundamentalism. I've heard more ridiculous statements than the ones in this parody. They often came from big, sweaty preachers yelling fire and brimstone while marching up and down the aisles and between the pews, pointing their fingers at people, demanding the worshipers repent, and slamming their fist on their bible when not waving it in the air.
It's taken me years to shed the brain washing. Maybe I have a bit of a phobia. I was nearly 20 before I discovered that nowhere in the bible does it say that at the Tower of Bibel, God punished the sinners by turning their skin black, changing their language, and sending them to Africa. I had my doubts but one does not openly question the word of God as it is given to the preacher.
Anyway, I guess I do get a little testy and overreact whenever I hear what sounds like fire and brimstone.
My bad.
Posted by OffTheFence at January 19, 2006 02:07 AM